Taliban celebrate three years in power with parade at former US air base

The speeches were aimed at an international audience, urging the diaspora to return and for the West to interact and co-operate with the country’s rulers

Afghan men attend a ceremony to celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan (Siddiqullah Alizai/AP)

The Taliban celebrated the third anniversary of their return to power at a former US air base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, but there was no mention of the country’s hardships or promises of hope for the struggling population.

Under blue skies and blazing sunshine at Bagram, once the epicentre of America’s war to unseat the Taliban and hunt down the al Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks, members of the Taliban cabinet lauded achievements like strengthening Islamic law and establishing a military system that provides “peace and security”.